[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 74 (Monday, April 17, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20431-20432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-9559]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-844-802]


Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium 
From Uzbekistan

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Price Determination on Uranium from Uzbekistan.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sections IV.A(2) and IV.C.1 of the agreement 
suspending the antidumping investigation on uranium from Uzbekistan, as 
amended, (antidumping suspension agreement on uranium from Uzbekistan), 
the Department of Commerce (the Department) calculated a price for 
uranium of $10.05/pound of U3O8 for the relevant 
period, as appropriate. This price will be used, as appropriate, to 
implement to Sections IV.A(2) and IV.C.1 of the Uzbekistan agreement.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Doyle or Marlene Hewitt, Office 
of Antidumping/Countervailing Duty

[[Page 20432]]

Enforcement--Group III, Import Administration, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street & Constitution 
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-0159 or (202) 482-
6412 respectively.

Price Calculation

Background

    Sections IV.A(2) and IV.C.1 of the antidumping suspension agreement 
on uranium from Uzbekistan prescribe that the Department issue its 
determined market price on April 1, 2000, and use it to determine the 
quota applicable to the above referenced provisions of Uzbekistan's 
agreement during the period of October 1, 1999, to March 31, 2000. 
Consistent with the February 22, 1993 letter of interpretation, the 
Department provided interested parties with the applicable preliminary 
price determination on March 27, 2000. No interested party submitted 
comments.

Calculation Summary

    Sections IV.A(2) and IV.C.1 of the agreement specify how the 
components of the market price are to be determined. In order to 
determine the spot market price, the Department utilized the monthly 
average of the Uranium Price Information System Spot Price Indicator 
(UPIS SPI) and the weekly average of the Uranium Exchange Spot Price 
(Ux Spot). In order to determine the long-term market price, the 
Department utilized a simple average of the UPIS U.S. Base Price for 
the months in the period as no useable contract information was 
submitted.
    The Department's letters to market participants provided a contract 
summary sheet and directions requesting the submitter to report its 
best estimate of the future price of merchandise to be delivered in 
accordance with the contract delivery schedules (in U.S. dollars per 
pound U3O8 equivalent). As all reported 
information had already been reported to UPIS or was for spot contracts 
or was for out-of-period contracts or used inherently speculative 
market-pricing, none were useable for the Department's calculation.

Weighting

    The Department used the average spot and long-term volumes of U.S. 
utility and domestic supplier purchases, as reported by the Energy 
Information Administration (EIA) to weight the spot and long-term 
components of the observed price. We have used the purchase data from 
the period 1995-1998. During this period, the spot market accounted for 
76.61 percent of total purchases, and the long-term market for 23.39 
percent.
    As in previous determinations, the Department used the EIA's 
Uranium Industry Annual to determine the available average spot and 
long-term volumes of U.S. utility purchases. We have updated the data 
to reflect the period 1995 through 1998. The EIA has withheld certain 
business proprietary contract data from the public versions of the 
Uranium Industry Annual 1995, Uranium Industry Annual 1996, Uranium 
Industry Annual 1997 and the Uranium Industry Annual 1998. The EIA, 
however, provided all business proprietary data to the Department and 
the Department has used it to update its weighting calculation.

Calculation Announcement

    The Department determined, using the methodology and information 
described above, that the observed market price is $10.05. This 
reflects an average spot market price of $9.70, weighted at 76.61 
percent, and an average long-term contract price of $11.23, weighted at 
23.39 percent. This price will be used, as appropriate, to determine 
quota availability for purposes of Sections IV.A(2) and IV.A. of the 
antidumping suspension agreement on uranium from Uzbekistan.

    Dated: April 10, 2000.
Joseph A. Spetrini,
Deputy Assistant Secretary AD/CVD Enforcement Group III.
[FR Doc. 00-9559 Filed 4-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P